TODAY the highest court in the British Empire, the British Privy
Council, heard a media suppression order case appealed by the
government of Bermuda over sensitive leaked police files which
expose government corruption at the highest levels.

Bermuda, a tax haven and one of the world's wealthiest islands, is the financial
headquarters of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and many other billionaires.

Since June, the documents have led to a police raid on the Bermuda Broadcasting
Corporation, the arrest of the Auditor General and have
sparked a diplomatic incident between Bermuda and the United Kingdom.

The premier of Bermuda, Mr. Brown, and the Attorney General, Philip
Perinchief, are seeking to have the Privy Council order that the media
cannot print information from the leaked police files.

Wikileaks has released a statement from the leaker, known as 'Son of the Soil', together with the leaked document summary that is the subject of the suppression proceedings in the Privy Council.

Back in 2002 the Bermuda police undertook an investigation into allegations of corruption at the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) following the loss of $8,000,000 (eight million dollars). Apparently, in 2004, the acting Director of Public Prosecutions Kulandra Ratneser said some of those investigated escaped prosecution due to Bermuda’s antiquated corruption laws; the parties were not exonerated. Only the conviction of property officer Terence Smith followed. The matter appeared concluded.

In 2006 Bermuda’s Auditor General, Larry Denis, published his report which highlighted the ‘disappearance’ (inability to account for) $800,000,000 (eight hundred million dollars). Mr. Dennis is reported to have said: “One recommendation (in Appendix Two) requires special mention this year. In my 2003, 2004 and 2005 annual reports I expressed concern at the number of frauds and misappropriations that were detected in recent years in Government entities”. The BHC scandal appears to have paled into insignificance; clearly the Bermuda police had to consider proportionality and priorities; the police fraud department manpower comprised single figures – forget BHC’s eight million, there was $792,000,000 of Government ‘leakage’ to find … except it appears that this colossal loss is not being investigated!

Then, in May 2007, the BHC scandal resurfaced and hit Bermuda’s headlines again … new allegations appeared in Bermuda’s press, information gleaned from a ‘secret’ police file naming suspects that included the head of the island’s government, the Premier Ewart Brown. The police dossier was said to run into thousands of pages.

There was an outcry from the serving Government and the police that this file could be in the hands of the press. The AG Philip Perinchief apparently said it was about principles and drew a parallel: "Just think for example that your neighbor accused you of a scandalous crime, the police come to question you and the inner workings of that investigation are then handed over to the press for publication - even though you've done nothing in the eyes of the law. I expect you would be mortified." What Mr Perinchief appears to have misunderstood is that the accusation was made, Ewart Brown’s name came up as a suspect but the police did NOT ‘come to question him’. What likely mortifies people is that the island’s premier would appear to remain a suspect AND has never answered the allegations; he has never been questioned by the police. Why not?

What followed was, and remains, bizarre; the island’s chief of Police, George Jackson was initially reported to have said that the ‘secret’ file was 'MISSING'. Then the file was said to have been ‘STOLEN’. Deputy Commissioner Roseanda Young apparently said that there were special measures in place to secure all documentation. However, these measures appear to have been anything but ‘special’; the file escaped and its disappearance has yet to be accounted for, the file has not been located. It appears all the more odd that Mr Jackson was unable to immediately say that the file was ‘stolen’, he could only explain that the papers were unaccounted for despite ‘special measures’.

Police Commissioner George Jackson and Attorney General Philip Perinchief launched a court action against the media who published information relating to the leak. They were represented by lawyer Delroy Duncan: a person whose name featured in an enquiry undertaken by George Jackson that was described by one former Bermuda senior officer as “an investigation of what undoubtedly remains the largest and most serious crimes of conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering ever conducted in the Bermuda Police Service." An investigation that it would appear has similarities to the BHC enquiry; it was not progressed.

Ewart Brown has not answered the allegations; he has gagged the media. The Government, via Senator David Burch, Minister of Public Safety, has also written to the Governor, Sir John Vereker, asking him to delegate his responsibilities over the Bermuda Police Service.

As the Bermuda Courts have already found in favour of the island’s press (Bermuda Royal Gazette, Mid Ocean News and ZBM radio), on Monday 29th October 2007, the issues will be aired at Bermuda's highest court of appeal, Privy Council, London. Mr. Brown, Attorney General Philip Perinchief and George Jackson will seek to have the Privy Council order that the media cannot print information from the leaked police files.

Who will win? Many appear to have sided with the media. The Bermuda Government clearly has a problem with its ability to control expenditure; the leak of public funds appears to be a haemorrhage. Is this surprising if no one is investigating, apprehending and prosecuting offenders? If there is no deterrent, why would whoever is responsible stop? How else are the public to ascertain what has happened and make an informed decision in the absence of leaks? Bermuda is one of the few western hemisphere countries without Freedom of Information legislation.

More recently, (22nd October 2007) Premier Ewart Brown launched a personal attempt to prevent the press printing details of the BHC police investigation. Mr Brown was apparently represented by Charles Richardson, a lawyer called to the Bar in 2004 just two years after being released, having served seven years of a 15 year term of imprisonment for his part in a nightclub shooting.
As for the Auditor General, Mr Denis who raised concerns in his report, he has had his offices searched, been arrested and is currently on bail. He is suspected of being connected with the disappearance of the secret police file, a file he has apparently claimed he was provided by a former commissioner of police, Jonathan Smith. It appears the Bermuda police are willing to quiz the Auditor General over a missing (stolen?) file but not the Premier, Ewart Brown, about the missing (stolen?) $8,000,000.

As for who leaked the police file, all that has been reported is that he / she goes by the name 'Son of the Soil'. As with all of the above further information can be gleaned by undertaking a simple Google search of the names and “+Bermuda”. As for leaked documents in general, it is evident from searching the internet for Bermuda police files that there are many leaked papers on the web, this is not a new problem, so why the concern about the BHC file?